


Letters to Deadman

by siangjiang



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, after the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 14:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21495532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siangjiang/pseuds/siangjiang
Summary: One day Deadman gets a letter with a small handprint on it.
Relationships: Deadman & Lou, Sam & Lou, Sam Porter Bridges/Deadman
Comments: 38
Kudos: 484





	Letters to Deadman

One day Deadman got a letter. A real, old-fashioned letter made of paper. He turned it over several times, but it was just plain white, no sender. There was no text inside either, just a mostly blank page with the small handprint of an infant on it.

His heart almost stopped. He turned the letter again and again, held it up to the light, turned it over again. Just a handprint. 

Could it be? Had it worked?

He kept the letter. He thought about hiding it, but what would be the point? It was just a handprint.

A year later he got another letter. He fumbled with the butter knife he used as a letter opener. Another handprint. Bigger. 

It was true then. 

Lou was alive.

The chair creaked under him as he sat down, tears of joy streaming down his face. He couldn’t keep the laughter in. She was out there. They both were. Alive and well enough to send him letters. He pressed the paper against his chest. Hugged it. They were alive.

He got more letters after that, each with a steadily growing handprint. One day it also had a tiny drawing of a butterfly in the corner. He almost hung that one up on the fridge.

The next few letters had more drawings of birds and fish and other animals, until one day it was a person. Him. Deadman. He recognized himself because of the scar running across the forehead and the sunglasses. Sam had told Lou about him. Described what he looked like to her.

The next letter had a drawing of a house with a tornado over it, and inside were three stick figures, smiling.

He understood. He started packing things immediately and the very next day he told his team that he had to conduct some field research, got hold of a truck and drove all the way to the cliff where he and Sam had been sucked into Cliff’s beach. There was no house of course, but he knew the way.

When he got there he jumped out of the truck and looked around frantically. No one. He looked until his legs couldn’t carry his weight anymore and he had to return to the truck to rest. He’d wait. He’d wait for days if necessary. That was his last thought before he drifted off to sleep.

He was startled awake by a knock on the window. His groggy brain expected to see the president himself, furious that Deadman had been keeping secrets from him, but instead he was met by Sam’s smiling face.

Deadman couldn’t even remember how he got out of the car. All he knew was that he was finally hugging Sam again on a windswept cliff in the middle of nowhere. It felt like neither of them wanted to let go.

Then he heard the quiet scraping of shoes in the gravel. He looked behind him and saw a young girl with brown hair no longer than Sam’s. The absurd thought that she looked like Sam hit him, impossible as it was.

When he walked towards her she took a step back. Like father like daughter, so he got down on his knees and waved at her.

“Hi” he smiled. He could barely contain himself. She was beautiful, like all children. Sam had dressed her in a protective, baggy jumpsuit with several pockets on the front and along the legs.

“This is Deadman” Sam said “Your other dad”

Deadman’s head whipped around to look at Sam. Other dad?

“I got all your letters” Deadman smiled at Lou “I really liked the one of me. It was like looking in a mirror”

Slowly, hesitantly, Lou reached out and touched the scar on Deadman’s forehead. Suddenly it was like something clicked for her.

“I remember you” she said before putting her small arms around his neck.

He wanted to tell her that was impossible, but what did he know? She had spent a year in a pod, so technically she was older than she looked. Who knew what she had absorbed in that time. And he wanted to believe it.

“You’ve been giving me all those nice drawings so I got you something too”

He pulled a small charm of a butterfly out of his pocket. It was painted in all the colors of the rainbow and sparkled like silver in the sun.

“Because your first drawing to me was of a butterfly, and because you are like a butterfly yourself”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, butterflies spent time in a cocoon, changing and developing, like you did”

She turned it over in her hand thoughtfully. He hoped it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

“Thank you” she said quietly, mesmerized by the glittering shine.

“It’s good to see you again” Sam said as Deadman got up.

“You too. Thank you for the letters. I was so worried. They really gave me peace of mind”

“How long have you told them you’ll be here?”

“I didn’t specify so we got time” he held up his cufflink “They know where I am but it’s not recording. Hope you don’t live nearby”

“No, we found an abandoned bunker a few kilometers from here. Got ourselves a nice little home”

“Oh, that makes me very happy to hear, Sam” Deadman said, putting a hand on his shoulder “Are you okay for food? Need more clothes? Anything you want I can deliver here personally. Just send me a letter with a drawing of what you need”

“We’re good, but I’ll keep that in mind”

“And what about her?” Deadman asked, nodding at Lou “Is she...okay? Have you noticed anything about her?”

Sam shrugged “She’s fine. It’s a rough lifestyle but she has never known anything else. I think she likes it. Can’t keep her off the mountainsides”

“She’s healthy then” Deadman sighed happily. Then he turned to Sam “I know you just said you’re good, but I got you some food, water and batteries anyway” He pulled the boxes out of the truck “Please take them. It’d make me worry less”

Sam just smiled and started arranging them in his backpack.

Deadman watched Lou as she played with the butterfly, making it fly and land on a flower.

“You called me her other dad”

“Yeah. That’s what you are, right?”

“I’ve never even touched her before now”

“Doesn’t matter. You were there for her, us, and you’re here now. That counts”

Deadman looked at the ground “That’s a nice thought”

“She was asking about parents. Couldn’t understand why she only had one. I told her she didn’t” Sam entangled his fingers with Deadman’s “You’ve been taking care of her the only way you could. Letting us off the grid, not try to contact us until we invited you, kept us safe. That’s not just a nice thought”

Deadman felt like crying. His lip trembled as he tightened his grip on Sam’s hand, and Sam pressed his forehead against Deadman’s temple. Together they closed their eyes, just enjoying each other’s company.

“Thanks Sam”

Lou was watching them. She looked...relieved? Maybe their closeness somehow confirmed to her that Deadman was indeed her dad. The second parent she had longed for.

“Let’s cook a quick meal and eat together. We got time for that, right?” Sam said.

—————

The ‘cooked meal’ ended up being three MRE packs. Not the tastiest thing in the world, but Lou wolfed it down and even ate part of Sam’s too. She started opening up and began asking Deadman questions about everything, big and small. He could answer most of them which really seemed to impress her.

As the sun went down and the light started to dim they packed everything up, leaving no traces besides tire tracks. 

Deadman threw his arms around Sam, hugging him tightly, and felt Lou hug them both.

“Remember, Sam” he said “Anything you need. I can get it all. Even if it’s just small things to sweeten her life”

He stroked Lou’s hair and she looked sadly up at him.

“Will you come visit us?”

“No, not at your bunker, but we can meet here or somewhere else when your dad thinks it’s safe”

She nodded. Good kid.

“I’ll keep sending you drawings so you don’t forget me”

Deadman chuckled “There’s no danger of that. But I would very much like it if you kept sending them”

With that they parted ways, Lou and Deadman waving at each other until it became ridiculous.

When he finally got home he flopped down on his bed, knowing he’d have the first truly restful sleep in years.


End file.
